27-2.txt

Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
As my words are being broadcast throughout Canada I should like to begin on a personal note. I
want to say that I am deeply conscious of the possibilities for good for Canada of my new office and duty-that which brings me here today to open the Centennial Session of Parliament. May I renew my pledge at the ceremony of Installation: that my sole purpose and effort will be to merit the confidence which had been reposed in me by Her Majesty our Queen on the advice of her Canadian Ministers and by the countless Canadians from every region who have so freely offered their good wishes. My wife and I are deeply grateful for such messages and greatly encouraged by them.
On this occasion we feel again the sadness of our loss in the recent death of His Excellency General Georges Vanier, my much beloved predecessor. His courageous and lifelong devotion to all that is good and honourable sets an example to inspire all Canadians.
The careers of my two distinguished Canadian predecessors have added to the traditional and constitutional functions of the Governor General as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada, that of representing the Canadian people in a broad range of their activities and attitudes. In this role I shall try to encourage the best features of our national life, in all its diversity, and to symbolize the unity and continuity of the Canadian people as expressed in their federal institutions.
With you, I look forward this summer to the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. The presence of our Sovereign and the Heads of State of other countries will bring added joy and festivity to our land as it celebrates the centennial of its Confederation.
This Centennial Session of Parliament provides an opportunity to begin to give effect to our aspirations for the second century of Confederation.
The weak colonies joined together in 1867 have grown today into a prosperous and dynamic country. That so much could have been accomplished in the face of great difficulties is a tribute to the courage, determination and faith in human progress of countless Canadian men and women of all origins. It is also a tribute to the wisdom and foresight of the Fathers of Confederation who created the constitutional framework without which much of this progress would have been impossible.
Our country was not founded in 1867. It is far more deeply rooted in time than that. But, one hundred years ago, our predecessors-men of many races, creeds and tongues-embarked upon a great exercise in statecraft of which we, today, are the trustees. They laid the foundations. They anchored them in a fundamental sense of unity that generations of conflict had taught was vital to the common weal. With this realization they erected a structure of government for the freedom, welfare, and prosperity of all who might come in time to inhabit this land. They built according to a federal plan because they knew that unity, with cultural and regional diversity could be harnessed to a positive and enriching role in no other way.
The concept of Confederation was a call to Canadians to occupy and develop half a continent. In terms of physical effort, it demanded constructive work of a magnitude and in the face of obstacles never before tackled anywhere in the world. In terms of intellectual endeavour, it required the revolutionary application of federal arrangements to a parliamentary system in a sparsely populated country of enormous area.
The path of Confederation has been beset with great difficulties-some natural, some inevitable and some of our own making. Succeeding generations of men and women, however, had the courage to overcome these difficulties and make possible the material and social progress we today enjoy. They had the conviction of their forefathers that a sense of basic unity alone would secure the preservation of both the individuality and the diversity which they cherished. They knew that, while Confederation could never be perfect, it was in the last analysis the mainstay of their various interests and that, while there would inevitably be occasional failures in the tolerance and understanding essential to our political system, a fundamental friendship between our people remained and could be relied upon. They Irnew, above all, that there was no difference of opinion so great, no misunderstanding so deep, that could prevent men of good will from repairing the particular in order to preserve the whole.
During the past one hundred years the world has changed beyond the recognition of anything within the experience of those who laid the foundations of Confederation. That our constitutional structure has endured and served so well the progress of our country is a measure of the basic soundness of its principles as well as the willingness of those concerned to adapt their application to changing needs and changing conditions.
It is in this spirit that the government has in recent years actively promoted the reform of detailed federal-provincial arrangements which, with the fundamental law, compose the constitutional structure of our country. Such reform includes improving procedures for federal-provincial consultation and coordination that are increasingly vital to the effective operation of modern government.
The government is aware of its unique responsibility to ensure that our fundamental law is readily adaptable to our changing social needs. It is also conscious that the advantages and disadvantages of the present constitutional structure are deeply intertwined. While orderly reform may well be the best way of preserving and strengthening our heritage, the most careful consideration must be given to what we do. Studies to obtain the best advice on this important matter are now underway with a view to subsequent consideration of the whole problem by Parliament.
It was possible to think, in 1867, of the public responsibility primarily in terms of state responsibility. The new challenges, which we must and will meet, require the involvement of the whole society and the efforts of all our people. In this time of fast-changing dimensions, the central concern of Canadian society must be the well-being of each individual, so that, regardless of his place or station at birth, he will have an equal chance to realize his full potential in the economic, social, political and cultural sense. A country is a home; it must be built and furnished for the good life of its people.

With our forefathers, the fight was against the immense odds of nature on our half of this continent. Today the main struggle is against social injustice, against cultural mediocrity, against spiritual stagnation and against all forms of intolerance.
During the first one hundred years of our Confederation we have been evolving, out of our bilingual and bicultural beginnings, an ideal of statehood that promises a new dimension of democracy: the dimension of social and cultural diversity within a political unity. Out of the two great cultural streams of our beginnings, we have evolved in Canada an independent statehood which has welcomed and been enriched by people of many other cultures. As we enter our second century of Confederation, we can take pride in a sense of purpose that, while taking account of our own national needs, also includes a unique capacity to contribute to the whole world community of man.
Today relations among industry, labour and governments at all levels are taking on a new significance. To maintain and improve Canada's economic strength it is necessary to exercise wisdom and restraint in our demands upon one another; to show a high degree of cooperation and a sense of responsibility in dealing with each other and with our respective institutions, including all levels of government.
The government is conducting a fundamental review of the many significant factors involved in the relationship between industry, labour and government. From this review, it will secure the best advice available in shaping new policies and determining the most effective day-to-day role for the federal government.
Honourable Members of the Senate,
Members of the House of Commons,
As our Centennial Session opens, more Canadians are employed than ever before in our history. To ensure that jobs keep pace with the labour force, the capacity, quality and productivity of Canadian manufacturing industries must be increased. The government will take further appropriate measures to promote an environment in which industries can develop in the broad interests of the country, and promote increasing employment opportunities.
The government will also take special measures in particular designated areas where human resources are not adequately utilized. While efforts by the government in this regard during recent years have met with a large measure of success, they are to be made even more effective. Parliament, therefore, will be invited to broaden the scope of the Area Development Incentive program and to provide increased funds for it. Continuing encouragement will be given to the work of the Atlantic Development Board in promoting industrial development in the Atlantic Region.
Our strong and dynamic economy has made possible a broad program of social security which is available to all Canadians. Social legislation in Canada has been advanced to a remarkable degree in recent years. This does not mean to imply that all our programs are complete. Improvements will be required, such as the amendment of the Unemployment Insurance Act, which Parliament will be invited to consider.
Parliament will also be asked to enact a measure further to assist Canadians when moving from their homes in order to obtain employment. This will be accompanied by administrative action to increase the effectiveness of Canadian manpower centres. A full service will be developed for counselling individuals looking for work and for helping all workers to take advantage of employment opportunities. At the same time the adult retraining program will be strengthened and, in consultation with the provinces, a number of pilot training projects will lay concrete plans for new approaches in manpower development.
While the government is conscious of the desirability of a greater degree of domestic control of our resources and our key industries it is also aware of the continuing importance of inflows of foreign investment in order to ensure an optimum development of the economy. To enable Canadians to gain a clearer understanding of these issues, a White Paper on this subject will be laid before Parliament.
The government attaches great importance to opening up new ways for the participation of our people in the ownership of our industrial institutions. You will therefore be asked to consider a bill to establish a Canada Development Corporation in order to further the industrial development and trade of this country by reinforcing the supply of Canadian equity capital ready to share the risks as well as the rewards of investment in Canadian business.
Federal-provincial cooperation through the Fund for Rural Economic Development will permit a major effort for regional planning for particular areas in Canada. Implementation of development projects in Northeastern New Brunswick, at Mactaquac in New Brunswick and the Interlake area of Manitoba will provide the Federal Government with tools of knowledge and experience for the benefit of other regions throughout the country. You will also be invited to approve the establishment, with the Government of Nova Scotia, of a Crown Corporation to phase out the uneconomic coal mining operations in Cape Breton, while creating alternative industrial employment.
Greater emphasis and encouragement, consistent with federal responsibilities, will be given to community development programs throughout Canada. In no case is the need for these more fully demonstrated than in the case of the Indians and Eskimos of Canada who face grave problems in their attempts to share the benefits and opportunities of our society. The government will therefore put before the Centennial Session amendments to the Indian Act and it will take other administrative measures to encourage the process of community development, for the benefit of the Indian and Eskimo people.
In foreign affairs Canada has put its major effort Into the pursuit of peace. Our diplomacy aims at strengthening Canada's position in the councils of nations so as to work towards that world peace and stability that is the agreed objective of all sectors of public opinion in this country.
The most serious situation in the world today remains that in Vietnam. The government continues to attach the highest priority to initiatives designed to bring about a peaceful settlement of this conflict and we will continue to exert every effort to this end through diplomatic and other peaceful means. The government is prepared to
cooperate in the establishment of an international presence in Vietnam to provide the assurances and guarantees which may have to form part of any settlement. We are also prepared to assist in the economic reconstruction and rehabilitation in that area once peace has been restored.
The government will also continue to press vigorously for effective international action in the field of disarmament. It regards curbing the nuclear arms race as a first and essential step on the road to general disarmament.
With these objectives in mind, Canada is joining with its NATO partners in a review of the future tasks of the alliance. Besides the changing requirements of collective defence, we will have in mind the progressively important political role which NATO has undertaken in the pursuit of a peaceful settlement in Europe.
The United Nations remains for Canada a major consideration in foreign policy. Until the end of 1968 Canada will have the responsibility of membership on the Security Council, and in that role the government will strive to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations fully to discharge its proper functions.
It is also expected that the "Kennedy Round" of International Trade and Tariff Negotiations will soon be completed in Geneva. In the light of its conclusions, you will be asked to approve changes in tariffs and related laws necessary to implement the undertakings Canada will give in order to gain improved access for Canadian products in export markets.
The government also intends to play an active part in the forthcoming meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, as it attaches great importance to the trade problems of less-developed countries.
Unless there is a concerted international endeavour to promote economic, technical and social advances in the developing countries, the world will soon face a major crisis. The advances painfully won by the nations of Asia, Africa and the Americas must not be lost through the lack of aid or through impediments to trade. Steps will be taken further to develop Canada's special relations with the Commonwealth countries of the Caribbean.
The government also intends to seek approval for a substantial increase in the external aid program, as a further step towards the aid target of one per cent of national income.
External aid, trade and the activities of a host of international agencies today bind the peoples of the world more closely together than ever before in human history. There is an international flavour to modern life that was unknown to all but a select few in years past, but which will become commonplace for people generally in the years ahead.
All this is dramatically demonstrated by Expo 67 which recently opened in Montreal and by the Pan American Games to take place in Winnipeg this summer. These are features of our Centennial party, to which the whole world has been invited. Expo provides an extraordinary opportunity to extend hospitality to those who join with us in celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of Confederation. It is attracting visitors to Canada in greater numbers than ever before, and provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to display our achievements to the rest of mankind. Our country will also be receiving an increasing flow of people who will remain with us, to add to the variety and strength of our country. You will be asked to consider a complete revision of our immigration legislation.
If the century that has passed can be characterized by the development of the resources of our land, it is likely that the century to come must be marked by an increasing concentration upon the development of the resources of the mind and the spirit.
The government has already embarked upon a number of programs to increase substantially the level of scientific innovation, but much information of potential use in upgrading the technological capability of our country is not being fully utilized. The government has therefore initiated a study which will lead to a program to provide for the efficient dissemination of the latest scientific and technological information throughout Canada. The government also intends to recommend substantial expansion in its assistance to science and technology in their broadest senses and to develop a climate conducive to more expenditure in this area by Canadian industry. Particular attention will be given to developing a climate of cooperation among governments, universities, and industries, that will provide effective solutions for the great problems associated with our environment: with health, transportation, energy, communications, housing and urban renewal, food production and many others that have particular relevance to this country.
The arts, humanities and social sciences also have an importance to our future that needs no elaboration. In recent years the government has taken vigorous action to ensure unprecedented support for those branches of learning essential to the enrichment of the spirit and to the government of men. More remains to be done so that there will be provided a host of challenging opportunities to Canadians of all ages: opportunities of the kind that will excite the interests of our best minds; opportunities that, accepted with spirit and vigour, can lead to progress of exceptional significance in the social and economic life of Canada.
Recognizing that broadcasting is an important cultural instrument the government supports a comprehensive and balanced national broadcasting service for Canadians of all ages, interests and tastes. Toward these ends a measure will be put before this Session for better regulation and use of broadcasting privileges and responsibilities. Legislation will also be placed before Parliament concerning the provision of broadcasting facilities for educational purposes.
The government is profoundly aware of the economic, social and cultural issues concerned in the development of satellite communications. Studies of this important matter are now underway and will be pressed to completion so that you may be thoroughly informed on all aspects when grave decisions as to use, ownership, regulation and control must be reached. A committee of Parliament will be invited to study the issues involved in this new means of communication.
In one form or another science is already reaching into the very heart of the community to transform the lives of each of us. It is essential that the control and development of our environment keeps apace. We have built towns and cities, canals and railroads, highways and other great works of construction at an unprecedented pace. But we have too often in the past made beauty the poor sister of material gain and careless workmanship the

price of easy profit. We must lose no more time in making ugliness in our environment as unwelcome as financial losses in our balance sheets.
One of the great challenges of the century will be our capacity to plan our urban development so that Canadians in the future will continue to enjoy the benefits of living in health and harmony with their surroundings. To this end, the government intends to propose to the provinces that a special study of urban development be undertaken in close consultation with all the authorities concerned, which would be available to the federal, provincial and municipal governments and to the public generally; so that all Canadians will be aware of problems which lie ahead and so that governments at all levels, will have the best possible advice to assist them in their own planning and in their respective contributions to this great problem.
You will be invited to consider new housing programs which, while recognizing the primary responsibility of the individual and the other levels of government in the provision of housing, will help to fill requirements that clearly lie ahead.
The impact of science, industrialization and urbanization and the changing conditions in Canada and abroad also demand that our agricultural goals and policies should be kept under continuous examination. The government, confident that Canada can look forward in its second century to continuing as one of the great agricultural countries of the world, proposes to establish a Special Task Force under the Minister of Agriculture. It will be charged with projecting agricultural goals for the future and recommending policies to meet these goals. A firm basis should thus be provided for the development, in full cooperation with the provinces, of a national agricultural policy. This national policy will be designed to bring greater returns to the efficient farmers of this country consistent with those of other segments of our economy and consistent with the contribution to our well-being that is made by the agricultural segment. At the same time plans will be developed that will permit the retraining of those who wish to leave the agricultural field.
The changing needs of rural communities also deserve special attention. During the present Session, you will be asked to approve legislation to provide long-term loans to agricultural and fisheries associations and corporations to permit them to develop facilities commensurate with the needs of such communities. The pattern of agriculture is changing and with the change there is increased need for capital to permit the development and maintenance of a competitive agricultural structure. Therefore you will also be asked to broaden the scope of the Farm Credit Act, in particular to enable young men and farmers' sons to develop or acquire efficient and viable production units.
The great natural resources that we take into our second century will be vital to us in meeting our needs and in maintaining our position as a major world trader. Measures will be introduced by the government at the present Session arising out of the need to conserve and preserve the great wealth with which Canada has been so richly endowed. Water itself is becoming a more and more valuable resource. Efforts to combat pollution are taking on an economic as well as a social significance and the federal government intends to press forward in cooperation with the provinces. In keeping with this objective, you will be asked to approve a new
Canada Water Act which will provide a framework for the improvement and implementation of Canadian water policy.
At the same time, the search for new resources hastens the opening of the North. Substantial progress has been made in recent years in the government of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, and the government intends to undertake new incentives for industry and regional economic planning intended to strengthen the economy of the North.
The encouragement of scientific and intellectual endeavour, and the development of natural resources, will be of no great benefit to Canadian society in its second century of Confederation unless a concerted effort is made to bring about a better relationship between the individual and his government. The government therefore attaches great importance to administrative and law reform so as to assure the citizen an understanding and sense of identification with what is going on, the better to assure his support of and participation in the social institutions of our country. You will be asked to examine legal procedures and administration, not only with a view to their efficiency, but also as regards their simplicity and efficacy in so far as the individual citizen is concerned. Canada must set itself the task of developing a society in which every citizen can become an informed and real participant and plan a role to the measure of his wishes and abilities.
The Standing Committee of the House on Privileges and Elections will be asked to continue its study of the Report from the Committee on Election Expenses. When this study has been completed, the government will put forward proposals for your consideration.
You will be asked to consider reforms in our laws governing divorce. The government will also put forward a proposal concerning capital punishment. In all of these matters where decisions depend so much on personal judgement and belief, careful consideration will be given to procedures for handling them in Parliament. Early action will also be taken to seek other amendments to the Criminal Code.
In the highly complex society of today, the interests of the consumer must be taken fully into account in the formulation of government policy. It is abundantly clear that in the whole area of matters affecting the investor and the consumer, the federal government has special obligations arising out of its general responsibility for the economic well-being of the nation as a whole.
The rights of the consumer can be advanced through corporate and individual responsibility but they also impose an obligation on governments at all levels. At this Session government measures recommended for the promotion of consumer interests will include the designation of a department of corporate and consumer affairs. Within this department there will be created an organization responsible for developing new policies and coordinating programs undertaken within the federal government to assist the consumer and protect the small investor. It will also maintain liaison with the provinces in these fields.
The government also attaches great importance to the encouragement of more efficient allocation of capital resources and to the creation of a situation in which any Canadian can invest in companies
operating in Canada on the basis of comprehensive and accurate information. To this end, you will be asked to approve amendments to the Canada Corporations Act. They will ensure that federally incorporated companies are obliged to respect modern and high standards of financial disclosure and that their affairs are conducted in a way which will encourage a favourable investment climate.
Related to this is the improvement of the efficiency and stability of financial markets and institutions. Important changes were brought about in the last Session of Parliament with respect to banking legislation and the control of other financial institutions. The objective of the government is to encourage development of efficient financial institutions, with full regard for the public interest including the provision of adequate safeguards for depositors and investors. The government is prepared to exercise its responsibility in fields where it has jurisdiction. In these fields as well as in areas where jurisdiction is divided, it will seek to cooperate with all provincial governments.
Another matter of fundamental importance in our highly industrialized society is safety. The government proposes to review the whole area of its jurisdiction with respect to the setting and enforcement of safety standards in all the areas where they are required if the day-to-day life of the average citizen is to be adequately safeguarded.
As we observe this year the beginning of a new century of Confederation, we who find ourselves in positions of authority must always remember that it is our responsibility and our opportunity to serve the needs and aspirations of the Canadian people. Ours is a proud past. Together we in Canada have a future as promising as that of any other country in the world. But, above all, we are a people of the present. It is well that in giving thought to the goals of the second century of Confederation, we be aware that, as our success and promise of today rest on the actions of the past, so what we have tomorrow will depend on what we do today.
Members of the House of Commons,
The legislative program that the government proposes is large, and many of the issues it contains are complex. This has consistently been the case in recent years. It is a natural result of the growth and development of our country, the involvement of government in many matters, and the increasing technicality of modem society and the methods of its regulation. Parliament today requires virtually the full-time attention of its members, and this has been appropriately recognized. Likewise, you have recognized that the rules and methods of parliamentary government must be revised. In the last Session you established a Committee on the Rules of the House which made valuable progress in this regard. In this Session you will be asked to continue and expand that Committee's work. Canada in embarking upon its second century of federal government, must provide its Parliament with every facility to ensure that efficiency and thoroughness of deliberation which, in the consideration of every item of public business, is alone the sure protection of the liberty and well-being of our people.
You will be asked to appropriate the funds required for the services and payments authorized by Parliament.
Congratulations on Canadian Centennial Honourable Members of the Senate,
Members of the House of Commons,
It is our honour and privilege to be responsible for the government of our country in this one hundredth year of confederation. It is our duty to govern well.
In addition to the measures already specified, you will be asked to consider a number of other legislative proposals.
In conclusion, I would end today, as the first Governor General of our country did one hundred years ago:
"Within our borders peace, security and prosperity prevail, and I fervently pray that your aspirations may be directed to such high and patriotic objects, and that you may be endowed with such a spirit of moderation and wisdom as will cause you to render the great work of union which has been achieved, a blessing to yourselves and your posterity, and a fresh starting point in the moral, political and material advancement of the people of Canada."
May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberations.